Drake Opens “The Ballet” for Super Bowl Weekend

Tickets are currently on sale for the hotly anticipated pop-up club in EaDo.

Word on the street spread fast this weekthat Drake held auditions for his upcoming Bayou City pop-up club, “The Ballet,” just days before Super Bowl LI, leaving fans to wonder what exactly Drizzy has up his sleeve. Our theory? The famously Houston-loving artist would never decline the opportunity to visit the city during the Big Game and host his own event.

The day after his “Summer Sixteen” tour stop in Houston last September, the self-titled Champagne Papi announced he would be opening “a new dance experience” in the city in early 2017. He informed the crowded room at last year's pop-up club at the Toyota Center that his next pop-up, The Ballet, would focus on “dancing and it’s not about no strip club sh*t … and I just wanna let you know that, me, I’m going to bring it to you in the most honest and genuine way possible.”

Fast-forward to January: Stripper auditions for the “no strip club” began Tuesday night at Mercy Nightclub, the EaDo-based venue hosting The Ballet from Thursday, Feb. 2 through Sunday, Feb. 5. Though Drake himself is currently on tour in England, the auditions were judged by Jas Prince, CEO of Empire Music Group, as countless women lined up outside the venue trying to win their chance at a weekend of fame.

The Ballet itself, however, still remained a bit of a mystery. As Houstonia went searching for clues, we found the Canadian rapper left fans a subtle clue on an Instagram post three weeks ago, advertising that the gentleman’s club would be hosted during Super Bowl weekend. Somehow, the news stayed mostly under the radar until this week.

It wasn’t until Tuesday at 4:22 p.m. CST that the event was publicized on eventbrite.com, releasing all details for the four-day bash, including location, time, dates and performers.

The Ballet kicks off on Thursday, Feb. 2 at 9 p.m. with performances by native-Houston hip-hop artist Travis Scott and Migos, followed by Young Jeezy on Feb 3., 21 Savage on Feb. 4 and Lil Wayne (who is hosting his own event the day before), DJ Khaled (also performing alongside Bruno Mars at Club Nomadic on Feb. 3) and Gucci Mane to conclude all Super Bowl festivities. Tickets start at $100.

One question still remains, however: Will Drake be in attendance for his own party and cancel his shows in Europe? We’re not sure, but we are keeping our fingers crossed.